Derek Who? Brian Cashman is Mr. November

I fell for it.

I bought into the notion that this was the off-season the New York Yankees were going to depend on their home-grown guys and keep their checkbook closed.

• Alex Rodriguez wants out? Screw him, he's not a Yankee anyhow. Mike Lowell came up in pinstripes and will cost a fraction of the price to play the hot corner.
• Roger Clemens is headed for Cooperstown? Not a problem, Joba Chamberlain will join him in 20 years.
• Jason Giambi's playing career is in its twilight? Who cares, Shelly Duncan will be the next Chris Chambliss.
• Johnny Damon's hitting ability is starting to mirror his throwing ability? Fine, Melky Cabrera is the future of the franchise.

I hadn't only made peace with the idea of an idle winter; I welcomed it.

But Brian Cashman is eventually going to remember that he is Brian Cashman. Today, 18 days after Rodriguez opted out of his $250 million contract and 17 days after Hank Steinbrenner all but said good riddance, Alex Rodriguez agreed to an outline of a deal that would keep him in the Bronx for another decade.

I guess that takes care of the need for Mike Lowell, right? Not so fast, they want him too. After all, this is the same team that didn't understand why anyone would want to debate which shortstop they'd rather have, Derek Jeter or Rodriguez. The correct answer to that debate was, "both."

Who would Cashman rather have guarding the corners of that infield, Rodriguez or Lowell? Answer, there are two corners of the infield. You know what is coming next.

Ryan Maloney

The Yankees and A Rod: A match Made in Heaven

Remember when you were a kid, you were told fairy tales? You'd have a protagonist and they'd get into some sort of trouble, but in the end everything would work out alright. What was that key line? Happily Ever After?

Well, I guess Yankees Nation can cuddle up in those sheets of theirs and utter those three words before their eye lids droop too low and they fall away to dream land. Can't they? Well, maybe its not that dramatic but in the eyes of every critic in New York the 3rd base quandary has been solved.

A-Rod will be back in pin stripes and the fickle fans of Yankee Stadium can go back to figuring out whether or not they love him or hate him. Love him or hate him however the Yankees and A-Rod look like a joke right now.

• "We won't negotiate with someone who doesn't want to be a Yankee!"
• "We won't negotiate with someone who has Scott Boras as their agent!"
• "We're going to go in another direction"

Any of this sound familiar? These are all statements that were or something to that effect that came out of the Yankee organization. The sour grapes routine was laughable. You knew that the Stienbrenners were hurt, how could anyone not want to be a New York Yankee? Try 7 years of neglect for the real problem of that team, PITCHING.

It appears that the Yankees still don't get it. Little less then a month after the A-Rod/Yankee fall out, A-Rod came sulking back. This time its A-Rod that looks like a doofus. He learned the grass isn't necessarily greener on the other side especially when you piss off the entire league by not only cheapening the World Series and demanding to the baseball world that you be paid like an Aztec God. Well, A-Rod there is no Mayan baseball team and the gold of El Dordo was a myth. Bottom line is that A-Rod has no other choice but go to the team with the most money and the least scruples. And the Yankees had no choice but to pay A Rod his contract or to sell the farm for Cabrera. As long as you got your can of Raid Joba is one the best in the league and Phil Hughes looks legit and as much as I dislike Melky, he's better then anything they have.

Bottom line, A-Rod looks like a prodigal son who left a home where he had a media that hung on his every word, money to spend on anything he ever wanted (no child support, however) and a team that is always ready to make a playoff push. He went out to the free agent market, found that sin city wasn't all that its cracked up to be. Meanwhile the Yankees look sheepish for backing down on a promise for a new start. A Rod has not helped the Yankees win a world series championships. My father always told me "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten." Keeping A Rod seems like a good move but if its not coupled with smart moves and judging by Cashman over the last few years *cough* Farnsworth, Pavano, Wright *cough* the Yankees will fall short again.

But Yankee fans can sleep safe now, knowing that the Yankees and A-Rod have reconciled, thier marital hiatus is over and they are once again dancing in relationship bliss. The Question is, will the Yankees be any better off.

Chris Hill says no.

Chris Hill

Romes & Malones Idle Today Citing Lack of Sports News

Romes & Malones were absent from the airways during their normal afternoon slot today on 88.9m FM WNYO.

In other news, Alex Rodiguez agreed to an outline of a new 10-year deal with the Yankees and Barry Bonds was indicted.

MLB Hot Stove Season Begins

Ahh yes boys and girls... tis the season where all the failures of the previous year are forgotten. All the pain seems to vanish when the new star, the "savior" is introduced to their new team. O, how I love the MLB off-season.

Where do we start. Last week we talked about the monstrosity that was Scott Boras and Alex Rodriguez. He's still not signed by anyone and I reall don't have anything else left to say as far as A-Rod is concerned. I expect to see him playing for some west coast team next season. Anything else would be unexpected. So what is Mr. Rodriguez' team going to do about the significant hole left by his departure from the Bronx? Lets take a look and see who's available...not much. When the talent pool consists of the likes of Russell Branyan and Chris Woodward, there are some pretty slim pickin's for the pinstripes to choose from. The only notable name is Mike Lowell. Yes, that's World Series MVP, Mike Lowell, Mr-I-had-a-career -rebirth-playing-in-Boston, Mike Lowell. Smart money says he's not going anywhere.

But the Yankees did do something right. Jorge Posada was just resigned by the boys in the Bronx. Now they just have to re-sign Mariano Rivera and Yankee nation will not be crying foul.
As a whole, the free agent pool this year is one of the slim-est in a long time. Pitching is sparse, outfield position players are suspect. This means that trades are always a possibility.

The biggest names on the trade front are third baseman Miguel Cabrera and pitching god Johan Santana. Both of these deals would require multiple farm hands being exchanged along with cash and other considerations. Everyone would like both of these studs, its just a matter of where they end up at the end of the winter, if they even move at all.

This is just barely scratching the surface. Deadline deals are abound and ridiculous trade scenarios are almost inevitably going to be discussed. Anything can happen from now until the end of December, that's what really makes this "The most wonderful time of the year."

Matt Armstrong

Matt Armstrong On Alex

Hmmm. So the Yankees were not in the World Series. All is lost. A crushing blow has been dealt to the Yankee faithful, there will be no celebrating in the streets of Manhattan for 7th straight year. Gloom and doom, lets move on.

But somehow, boys in pinstripes still remained the top story..."whats going on with Joe?", " will Alex opt out", " what happened to the squirrel that climbed the right field foul pole during the month of August"? Attention seemed to shift from the games being played and the fascinating stories that go along with them to the sun once again circling around the Bronx.

Leave it to power agent Scott Boras to steal the thunder of the Boston Red Sox winning another world championship. Alex wants more money! Pay him what he deserves. Now please, I'm not doubting the numbers that A-Rod puts up, he's a freak, but 350 million dollars just to be considered? There are eleven (that's right, one less than 12 and one more than 10) franchises that aren't even valued at 350 million. The Marlins, D-Rays, Brewers, and Twins are just a few of the names on the Forbes list that don't even break the 300 million plateau. Lets not forget, those Colorado Rockies, (who by the way made it further into the playoffs than Alex's Yanks) their entire net worth is valued at only 317 million.

What does this mean? There are in reality only a few teams that can afford to sign A-Rod. However the interesting question is what will that mean for the team for the rest of the off season. Will signing Alex be the only post season move that one organization makes? That might just be the case considering all available cash will be thrown in his direction. If your team can afford it, I say sure sign Alex. But be for warned, adding this large contract could end up crippling you financially and the results may not be what you had hoped for.

He claims he wants to play for the team that has the greatest chances of winning a world championship. That seemingly was the case when he went to New York. He lived the high life, went from batting 8th in the post season to thriving in the core of the order, seemingly skyrocketing his player value. Meanwhile he's cutting commercials and posing for pictures while trying to escape Toronto paparazzi. He's a celeb alright, and hes got the cash to back it up. But if you pass Alex in the street someday, ask him how his rings are doing. Isn't that what he was looking for to begin with? How's that working for you buddy...

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/33/07mlb_The-Business-Of-Baseball_Rank.html

That link will show you how much your squad is worth...and yes that is 1 billion next to the Yankees.

Matt Armstrong

Publicity 101

During his Alex Rodriguez rant to The Times this week, Hank Steinbrenner asked, "does he (Rodriguez) want to go into the Hall of Fame as a Yankee, or a Toledo Mud Hen?"

Well, the Mud Hens would like an answer. As first reported by The Detroit Free Press, Toledo has sent Rodriguez's agent Scott Boras a letter containing an offer. The proposed deal would give an incentive for hitting 75 home runs a season. There would also be a bonus for leading the team to ten consecutive Governor's Cups. The team's graphics designer even concocted a Hall of Fame plaque of Rodrigez in a Mud Hens cap. However, the note makes it clear that A-Rod's spot in the Mud Hen lineup is not guaranteed. The team says that reigning IL MVP Mike Hessman guards their hot corner. “We think that it would be a healthy competition at spring training between the two of them,” reads the letter. “Would your client be willing to play a different position?”

Toledo didn't need the two-time MVP's help winning the International League title in 2005 or 2006. However, the Mud Hens were swept from the first round of the 2007 IL playoffs by the Durham Bulls.

A-Rod Opts Out

Alex Rodriguez has opted out of his contract with the New York Yankees. The announcement came from super agent Scott Boras last night and was confirmed by Hank Steinbrenner.

"It's clear he didn't want to be a Yankee," Steinbrenner told the New York Daily News. "He doesn't understand the privilege of being a Yankee on a team where the owners are willing to pay $200 million to put a winning product on the field.

"I don't want anybody on my team that doesn't want to be a Yankee. It's goodbye."

Would be a Mistake to Fire Torre

The Joe Torre Watch has entered Day 3, but it still appears unlikely he'll be back for Year#13 of his Yankee tenure. Torre, who has had this team in the playoffs every year under his watch is currently being twisted in the wind as Big Stein and his posse take their sweet time deciding his fate. If they truly want him gone, as it appears to be, they should have the decency to make it quick. Torre has been nothing but a class-act since joining the New York Yankees after the 1995 season.

But the act of firing the man who has had so much success here makes no sense. Who will the Yankees find that is better? Don Mattingly? Joe Girardi? Tony LaRussa (gags)? Torre is about as perfect for the Yankees job as it gets. Yeah, you can quiver over his bullpen decisions and being ultra-loyal to veterans that he loves (i.e. Mike Mussina, Hideki Matsui, etc), but he handles the pressure of New York and a crazy owner better than anyone. Torre handles the largest, toughest media in the world with ease. Furthermore, his calming influence has allowed a group of stars just to play ball. Had Mattingly taken over after the '06 loss to Detroit, would he, as a rookie manager, been able to get this team out of the hole they were stuck in around midseason. It's a little naive to say anyone can manage the Yankees just because they have a $200 million payroll. Yes, anyone with a pulse could win with the resources this team has, but would the egos be able to mesh like they have under Torre's watch? Tony LaRussa would micromanage this team to death, and thus turn off a bunch of egos. You think they'd want to play for that? You wouldn't see players giving the same kind of effort for him as they do for Torre.

Those fans who think Joe should go are just spoiled fans. He won 4 World Series in his first 5 years as manager. Had he spread those out we wouldn't even be having this discussion. Yes, he has had some bitter postseason defeats, but is it his fault his offense goes 6 for 28 with RISP in the playoffs? Is it his fault his ace, Chien-Ming Wang, stinks up the joint in Games 1 & 4? Is it his fault his young phenom, Joba Chamberlain, was eaten alive by a bunch of bugs who ended up causing him to throw the tying wild pitch in Game 2? Fans are taking for granted this man has led their team to the playoffs every year. Yes, the goal is to win it all, but who out there is going to be better in leading this team, in the immediate future, to a World Championship? Don Mattingly or Joe Torre? Not even an issue. Bring Joe back! How sweet would it be to see Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, and/or Alex Rodriguez hold out on coming back to the Yankees by saying they walk if ownership doesn't bring Torre back. Guess that won't happen with the amount of money they can pay those three to keep quiet.

Pat Morgan
-The Sports Gerbil

ALDS: BoSox Sweep, Yanks Force 4

The New York Yankees saved Joe Torre's job - for now. The Bronx Bombers scored four in the fifth and three in the sixth to erase a 3-0 deficit last night. Roger Clemens didn't survive the third inning, leaving with an injured hamstring. Phil Hughes came on in relief to throw 3 2/3 shutout innings. Joba Chamberlain threw two innings to set up Mariano Rivera's perfect ninth.

Johnny Damon blasted his second home run of the series and drove in four. Alex Rodriguez broke an 0-for-18 playoff slump with two hits. He is still looking for his first post-season RBI since the 2004 ALCS, but raised his second season batting average to .275 (.235 in pinstripes).

Tonight, Chien-Ming Wang takes the hill for the Yanks. Paul Byrd opposes him. Wang was shelled in game one, allowing eight earned runs on nine hits in less that five full innings of work. He has a lifetime playoff ERA of 6.00 in three starts. Byrd is 1-4 all-time against the Yankees with a 4.44 ERA. He lost an Aug. 11 home start against New York allowing seven runs in two innings.

The Boston Red Sox will face the winner of the series. They swept the Angels 9-1 last night.

#502, #503: WNYO Was There

A-Rod went yard twice tonight (I believe someone predicted he'd homer off of Paul Byrd) in the Yankees 11-2 victory. He now has 39 HRs on the season to go along with 114 RBI. This concludes my stay in Cleveland. I got to see two Yankee blow-out wins, three Alex Rodriguez bombs, Mike Mussina's 100th Yankee win, and a returning Jason Giambi take one deep to right. Below is a video of my terrific call for blast #503. Loo closely and you can see the shame in my dad's eyes:

Sober & Ready For Round 2

Last night, I made the bold prediction that A-Rod would leave Cleveland with 40 HRs on the year. Less than a minute after I made the statement, Alex blasted #37 to dead center. He was sudsequently walked twice and hit by a pitch in his following at bats. However, I still stand by my guy. A-Rod will go yard tonight and twice on Sunday!

Tonight's victim is Paul Byrd (10-4, 4.13 ERA). A-Rod is 3-for-13 in his career against Byrd with no dingers. Byrd has struck out Rodriguez on six occasions. This marks Byrd's first 2007 start against the Bombers, it is also Mike Mussina's first 2007 start against Cleveland. Jorge Posada sat last night with a sore neck, no word on his status for tonight.

Yankee Lineup vs. Byrd
Damon 2-17, 0 K, BB
Jeter 10-25, 3 RBI, 6 K, BB
Abreu 1-3, 2 BB
A-Rod 3-13, 2 RBI, 6 K
Matsui 0-3
Cano 1-7, HR, RBI, K
Betimit 1-4, 2B, K
Molina 0-2
Cabrera 3-5, HR, 5 RBI, K

Ryan Maloney

#501: WNYO Was There

Alex Rodriguez blasted career HR #501 (37 on the year) in the second inning. Phil Hughes pitched six masterful innings. The Yankees won, the Tigers and Red Sox lost. Tonight was perfect. I am drunk right now. I will stop this post right here.

Ryan Maloney

Yankee Glog: End of 1st, 5-0 NYY

This Yankee-Blue Jay Glog brought to you by Procede' hair restoration.
"Hey! I'm Giusseppe Franco. I'm not putting my name on the line for something that doesn't work."

Two rookie pitchers enter, one escapes the first.

Jesse Litsch was unimpressive at best in career start number four. Two-thirds of an inning, five runs on four hits and two walks. Ken Singleton kept raving about this kid's performance in his debut against the O's. He fell an out short of going the distance and allowed only one run.

Tonight the Yankee lineup made him labor:

1. Damon took him deep on a full count to get things started.
2. Jeter gets caught looking on four pitches.
3. Matsui goes to two and two before lacing a single up the middle
4. A-Rod walks in five pitches.
5. Posada draws a full-count walk.
6. Giambi cranks the fourth pitch to RF for a sac.
A-Rod advances to third on the throw home
Posada steals second (seriously) during next AB
7. Phelps, getting rare start vs. RHP, singles in two runs
8. Cano doubles to LF, goes to third on throw home. (Pitching change)
9. Cabrera grounds out, strands runner at third (You bastard!)

So for some unknown reason the Yankees have decided to return to the formula that brought them four World Series titles in five years. We'll see how this works out.

Meanwhile, Tyler Clippard gets a first-pitch strike on every batter he faces in the first and goes 1-2-3.